File support



Feb. 26, 1952 v. DRENGBERG 2586325- FILE SUPPORT Filed July 28, 1949 INVENTOR.

V/ 67L DQENGBEQG BY M AUTO/GIVE Patented Feb. 26, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUPPORT Virgil Drengberg, Pasadena, Calif. Application July 28, 1949, Serial No.107,327

4 Claims. 1 Th'e'present invention relates .to file supports in general and particularly to :a file tsupport sadapted to be positioned within afilin'g cabinet drawer for the purpose :of supporting and spacing the :files positioned therein. More specifically ltheinvention comprises a :demountable file :support which can be positioned within a drawer filled with files withouttthe necessit of removmgz-those S'files and which, afterbeing once so positioned, .is adjustable in that the various separators creeparating plates can repositioned at "will.

usual :and well ik-nown ifiling .zzabinet acornprises :a plurality of drawers *tyertically arranged and individually movable horizontally between open. and closed positions. The cabinetis usually made of metal "and includes :a rigid iframeaclosed upon all but :its vforward face -.by fplat'e members and supporting, :'-upon suitable supports which may include Eball bearings, a plurality of .:drawers, usually two :to Tfive :in number. Such filing cabinets are of two classes 'whichumay "be referred to as standard and as flegal, :which nomenclature indicates the width -.o';f the file drawers is suitable :for papers of'lettertsize or papers of reater length, :com'monly knownasfilegah Regardless of the exact cabinet :construction '-'it;is common experience that the contents, usually comprising numerous individual :files :or :folders resting 'upon :one edge and extending tvertically, have a tendency :to shift their position .in the sfile and become less easily located. In certain stilte'd positions 'itris :mcre diflicult for :the:user .tosworl: with T them, as when attemptingtoi'finger through a multiplicity :of :sheets or :pages :or :files. :One tendency comprises thezshifting :of the bottom edge of the ifile rearwardlylso ithatieachjfile :inclines downwardly andrearwardly. This :is the reverse from the preferred relationship in which each file tilts downwardly and forwardly and .in which litispossibletfor thelsearch-er to flip each file-forwardly as-he observesthe label or marking thereon and in-passing to the next-file.

To maintain the.files within av fileudrawer in their proper relationship cabinet manufacturers and users have resorted to the use of separators or vseparating plates ,which vin certain preferred forms warelrigidlmetal markers mounted in the drawer-itself and usually securedinits side walls,

or by suitable means to the bottom wall. .In such constructions it is usually very difficult'to shift the supportingplateslongitudinally in the drawer without removing .thecontents 'With an'appreciationoflthe ,problemsjand .difiicult-ies inherent in lfiling cabinet constructions andilin their .use, it is .an object of the present invention ';'to provide a vnew and improved file support .for .filing.cabinets which is superior :in that the unit can :be lpositioned.- in;a drawer with- :out removing the :contents and, additionally, :can be adjusted longitudinally therein after bein initially positioned with aminimum of difliculty.

.Another :object .noi the :invention is to provide :a-demountablefile support comprisingrsideplates and separators adapted :to be individually positioned within the '"drawer and "which, when .rsc positioned, provide a strong, rigid file-supporting vstructure.

A :s'til'l further object .of :the invention is to proride a Lfile .:support in which individual side plates formed with -separa'tor seats :are adapted to he positionedinsi'de ,of andradjacent {the side walls :of fa, filing cabinet s'drawer to be connected by transversely extending rigid separators which seat therein and which are manually -zdisplaceablewertically.

These 'and totherrmore :specificrobjects will ap- 31216311 :upon reading the .following specification and claims and uponwonsidering :in connection therewith the :attached :drawing to which they relate.

Referring *now to the drawing which :a preferred embodiment :of the invention is illustrated:

V'Figure 1 .is ;a view perspective of -;a :filing cabinet ;..drawer in which a 'rfile vsupport constructed in accordance with :the :present invention -is;positioned,1apart .o'ittlrezdrawer wall diein broken away and a few i'files :being :shown spositioned in the drawer for illustrative purposes;

'FigureTZ isxa sideyiew of the file support comprising the present invention :shown removed from the drawer;

Figure -3 i is a vertical :section .upontheline :3-;=3 of .Eigure 2;

:Figure 4 is a partial horizontal section upon the1ine 4-4 of Figure;2;; :and

l-Figmge 5 is ansillustrationzofra separatoriabout to be moved downwardly into seating :position inoneof'the side plates.

Referring again to the drawing, ratfiling scabinetsdrawler, indicated-generally by .the reference character l0,.-is'seen1to,house azfile Supp0rt,:indisated generally :by the reference character :12. lThesdrawer itself may be-consideredz'asaofl-standard design 2ccn' prising ;side walls v1.3., and. :end wall LIA, a bottom :wall I 6, and a front tfaceror wall I I. A.-,curv edl-hand1e l8 10f .conventionatdesignliszfixed to theliront wall 1."! and provides means :by -.-which the user may pull the drawer outwardly .from the acabin-et in which it is movwidth of grooves 22. that a separator plate 26 may be slipped vertiably supported by a means forming no part of the present invention. A suitable window pocket I9 is provided which is adapted to receive a label indicating the contents of the drawer. It is to be understood that the present invention is adapted to be used in drawers of various designs and that the drawer construction per se is not a part of the present invention.

The file support comprising the present invention is illustrated in assembled relationship within the drawer ill in Figure 1, and is shown more in detail in the other figures of the drawings. It is seen to comprise a pair of spaced side plates 2| each adapted to extend parallel to and adjacent the inside of a drawer side wall I3.

Side plates 2| are preferably of lesser height than the drawer side wall I3 and rest directly upon the bottom wall l6. Each side plate 2| is provided along its upper edge with a plurality of spaced vertically extending channels or grooves 22 which, in a preferred form, are integral with the plate being pressed or stamped therefrom. As is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, each channel 22 is open at its top and bottom, its back face being spaced from and paralled to the body of the plate 2| itself. Each side plate 2| is also formed with vertically extending slots '23 the upper ends of which are in the same plane as the lower ends of the channels 22, and the closed lower ends of which are positioned above the lower extremities-of the plate. The lower edge of each plate is turned back upon itself to form a spacing wall or flange 24 which is paralled to and spaced from the plate 2| being in the same plane as the back face of the channels 22. With a side plate 2| in place within a drawer the channels 22 and the spacer wall 24 abut the plate and serve to space the main body of the plate therefrom in an obvious manner.

The separators or separating platesare indicated by the reference character 26 and are seen to be flat, rectangular members, preferably rounded at their upper corners and formed at their ends with oppositely extending right angle upper and lower flanges 2! and 28, respectively. The thickness of each separator 26 is slightly less than the width of slot 23 and the combined lateral extension of flanges 21 and 28 is slightly less than the The relationship is such cally downwardly in a slot 23, the flanges 28 and 21, in the order stated, passing downwardly in and through the channel 22 positioned above that slot. The lower end of flange 28 strikes the lower end of the slot 23 limiting the downward I travel of the separator, and the extension of the flanges 21 and 2B in opposite directions upon the exterior surface of the side plate 2| prevents the plate from being dislodged by any but a direct vertically upward movement or force. The presence of the flanges extending in both directions is an important factor in this locking action, for, while relatively strong, the metal is thin and somewhat flexible. With but a, single flange extended in one direction at the end of a separating plate it is possible to dislodge the plate from a seating slot 23 by a horizontal force.

In use let it be assumed that a drawer, such as the drawer ID in Figure l, is pulled outwardly to open position in the cabinet of which it is a part. The drawer may be filled with files, a few of which are indicated by the reference character F in Figure l. or may be empty; it is not important. The first step in positioning the file support comprising the present invention is to insert the .width of the drawer, a standard or legal size separating plate or separator 26 will be used but the operation is the same in either case. With a plurality of separating plates 26 extended between the apposed side plates the file support becomes a relatively rigid construction and files, such as F, may be positioned therein and rest against the separators 26 which are suitably spaced as to perform their supporting function.

In the event that the drawer I8 is filled with files at the time it is desired to position the file support the operation is very similar. The in dividual side plates 2| lie against the drawer side walls l3 and are relatively thin, that is, each plate has a thickness which may be measured from the inside of the plate itself to the back of the channels 22. Accordingly, they may be positioned without difiiculty. With both end plates 2| in position it is then possible to position the separators 26 as desired simply by forcing apart the files at the point at which it is desired to place a separator and forcing the latter into its seating slots 23 as described.

The numerous advantages of the invention are believed to be apparent from the foregoing and among those advantages is the very important feature that the individual separating plates can be inserted and removed without the necessity of removing filed material. In addition, filed material can be removed from any part of the file drawer without affecting other material and without danger of that material falling through lack of support. Because of the fixed positioning of the units, once in place material filed in a drawer stays in place even though loosely arranged in order to facilitate removal and searching. Further, no adjustment of the usual follow block found in the cabinet drawer is necessary in adjusting the material, and in fact that block can be entirely eliminated if desired. The unit is adapted to be used in any standard size filing cabinet and obviously by varying the length of the side plates or the separating plates it can be designed to fit any cabinet drawer. Additionally, it can be used in desk drawers rather than cabinet drawers, if desired, and is adapted to be positioned sidewise therein. The units have even been used separately as a separate filing unit upon a desk or table under certain circumstances.

While the particular apparatus herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A file support for filing cabinet drawers comprising independent and individually movable spaced parallel side plates formed with spaced vertical slots ending in each instance at their upper ends adjacent the top of the plate in ofiset 5 vertical parallel channelsopen at their tops and bottoms, and separators seated in aligned slots of said parallel plates, said separators being formed at their ends with oppositely turned flanges hooking exteriorly adjacent and in plane contact with said side plates to prevent the displacement of said separating plates from said slots in any but a vertical direction and from the open end of said slots.

2. A file separator for filing cabinet drawers comprising a transverse separating plate adapted to extend between the side walls of a drawer and to be seated there against; horizontal movement, and independent and individually movable side plates to seat the ends of separators, said side plates comprising in each instance a flat plate formed with Vertical slots closed at their lower ends, an offset vertical channel open at its upper and lower ends formed in said plate at the upper open end of each slot and at the upper edge of the plate, and an offset spacer Wall at the lower end of each plate and upon the same side thereof as said ofiset channel and adapted to 00 operate with said channel to space the body of said plate from an adjacent drawer side wall.

3. A file support for filing cabinet drawers comprising a side plate adapted to be positioned adjacent the inner face of a drawer side wall, said plate being formed with spaced vertical slots closed at their lower ends and opening in each instance at their upper ends into outwardly off set channels open at their upper and lower ends, a spacer wall formed integrally with said plate at the lower end thereof and extending on the outer side of said plate in the same plane as said 5 channels, and a separating plate seated in said side plate and formed at its end seated in said plate with laterally extending flanges having a total overall lateral extension slightly less than the width of said channels, said slots having width only slightly greater than the thickness of said separating plate and said channels having a 6 depth only slightly greater than the thickness of said flanges to retain same immediately adjacent said side wall.

4. A file support for filing cabinet drawers comprising a pair of independent unconnected flat side plates adapted to be positioned individually adjacent the inner face of a drawer and independent separator plates extended between said side plates, each of said flat side plates being formed along its upper and lower edges with offset portions adapted to abut the adjacent side wall of the drawer to space said plate therefrom and to align it vertically, the ofiset portions at the upper edge comprising integral vertical channels the lower ends of which are open at the side of said plate, said plate also being formed with vertical slots the upper ends of which open into said channels, each of said separator plates comprising a flat plate having a length sumcient to extend across said drawer and through apposed slots in the side plates at its opposite ends and into the space between said side lates and the adjacent drawer wall, each end of said separator plates being formed with oppositely directed bentover right-angled flanges adapted to lie adjacent the outer face of a side plate, the thickness of said separator plate being such as to enable it to extend through said slots in close-fitting slidable relationship and to extend at said flanges closely adjacent the outer face of said side plate and said channel.

VIRGIL DRENGBERG.

- file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

